| |
 |
Lander with NETmc Marine recorder brings back image from 10000m |
|
NETmc Marine Ltd, designers of specialist digital video recorders and video overlays, were approached by Oceanlab in Aberdeen to build an electronic recording and mission control system for use in a scientific deep water lander unit.
The lander unit was to by deployed into the Tonga and Kermadec trenches (between Samoa and New Zealand) – with most of the deployment being a free-fall through the water column.
The lander would carry temperature / depth / pressure probes – as well as a camera, lights and video recorder. NETmc Marine developed and supplied an autonomous system which would control the lights, camera and recorder – and allowed the programming of various schedules of ‘sleeping’, ‘lights on’, ‘ start recording’ etc.
The electronics also monitored the battery life, making all recorded files safe and shutting down the system prior to running out of power. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
results: (ref Technical Paper - Dr Alan J Jamieson)
In July 2007, the lander was deployed 5 times in the Tonga and Kermadec trenches at 6133, 7049, 8170, 9036 and 10,014 metres from the German research vessel FS Sonne. The lander was baited with approximately 1kg of tuna and was set to record one minute of video every five minutes for eight hours after touchdown.
All 5 lander deployments were successful and recorded a very active scavenging faunal community throughout the transect. The video footage showed an increasing number of small crustaceans (amphipods) with increasing depth as well as a change in species. The deeper deployment observed thousands of amphipods, thought to be the hadal-endemic Hirondellea species 8. From the deployments, the funnel traps also collected over 5000 specimens for further analysis in the laboratory. The most notable findings were of crustacean decapods and snail-fish. The decapods, were seen at both the 6000 and 7000 metres sites. Until now, decapods are not known to exist beyond 5500metres 2. Furthermore, they were present frequently and were seen to actively feed on the smaller invertebrates. Similarly at 7000m two individual fish, known as Notoliparis kermadecensis 1 were present for over 3 hours. This fish, strikingly pink in colour, has never been seen alive until now and has only ever been trawled on one occasion over 50 years ago. It is thought to be endemic to the trenches and their behaviour and predation on amphipods gave the first insights into the ecology of these trenches. The bottom temperatures measured by the SBE-39 showed a steady rise of about 0.15 ° C every 1000m to a maximum temperature of 1.78 at 10,014metres.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
 |
|
|
| |
download video clip MPEG2 - codec may be required |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Following the lander sucess, NETmc Marine have developed miniature recorders (now based on the technology used in the 73fifty products) which are ideal for various AUV and scientific applications, Moving to the 73fifty technology has enabled the units to be smaller, use less power and generate less heat. www.oceanlab.abdn.ac.uk www.netmcmarine.co.uk/autonomous.htm |
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
See BBC news article
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
